On this day the Jewish calendar reminds us of our humble place within the ecosystem, and to honor nature’s cycles, celebrating Tu Bishvat which is the Birthday of the Trees.
With so many wars and man-made troubles it is easy to forget how central is the role of mother nature in controlling every aspect of our fragile lives. As our planet heats and as profit-focused-politicians, and most of us, keep ignoring the increasing risk to our future - it is humbling and critical to honor those who have always called on us to pay attention to the natural world, to do better and be bolder at saving what we can in the midst of this increasing climate crisis.
One of these voices belongs to the prophet whom we meet today.
Joel son of Petuel gets four chapters among the minor prophets. He could have lived at any moment during the decades and centuries that span the history of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah - but leaves no clues with clear historical context. Although scholars have tried to determine possible timestamps on his brief four-chapters long collection of visions there is no exact proof and therefore his words belong to timelessness. And they endure. His visions are those of a person deeply rooted in the earth and in the lives of all that grows and lives around him.
He actually begins his words with an exact reference to a-historical importance - simultaneously citing an important historical devastation that he and his people have lived through - while also designating this memory as an idea to transcend specific time and space. He describes the purpose of storytelling as active act of history:
דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָיָ֔ה אֶל־יוֹאֵ֖ל בֶּן־פְּתוּאֵֽל׃ שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת֙ הַזְּקֵנִ֔ים וְהַֽאֲזִ֔ינוּ כֹּ֖ל יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ הֶהָ֤יְתָה זֹּאת֙ בִּֽימֵיכֶ֔ם וְאִ֖ם בִּימֵ֥י אֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ עָלֶ֖יהָ לִבְנֵיכֶ֣ם סַפֵּ֑רוּ וּבְנֵיכֶם֙ לִבְנֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם לְד֥וֹר אַחֵֽר׃
The word of YHWH that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
Listen to this, O elders,
Give ear, all inhabitants of the land.
Has the like of this happened in your days
Or in the days of your ancestors?
Tell your children about it,
And let your children tell theirs,
And their children - the next generation.
Joel 1:1-3
The epic moment that they lived through was an ecological disaster - a plague of locusts so severe that it devoured the land. Joel describes four different types of locust - either stages in the infestation or four different kinds of creatures that together totally destroyed the only source of life for the inhabitants. The result is dire drought, death and destruction to the ways of life they’ve known.
Is is also a theological crisis.
Dr. Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan writes about both physical and mythic meanings of locusts - then and now:
“Locusts pose a serious problem for farmers in modern day Afro-Asia as they did in ancient times. Locust swarms are densely packed with as many as 80 million locusts in half a square mile.[1] A swarm can be as big as 460 square miles in size and consume 423 million pounds of plants every day.[2] The Bible understands the sudden appearance of locusts as a result of divine punishment, as it does with many other natural phenomena whose scientific causes were unknown to the ancients…
The book of Joel, a prophetic work without clear historical context——describes how locusts have devastated Joel’s community. In a line reminiscent of Moses’ words to Pharaoh (Exod 10:6) about Egypt—“something that neither your fathers nor fathers’ fathers have seen from the day they appeared on earth to this day”—Joel says the elders of the Judean community should recognize that the locust infestation they are experiencing is the biggest swarm anyone can remember.
Joel offers the longest and most vivid description of a locust plague in the Bible: The nymphs eat all the soft moist greens; the hoppers eat the hardier greens; and the adults eat flowers, fruits, or vegetables—they are not picky. So now, there is nothing left.
..The biblical authors of the exodus story and the book of Joel envision locusts as a tool in YHWH’s arsenal.”
If the locusts represent divine purpose, what about the rest of the living world? Joel, who seems to be an animist, paints the picture of a landscape so demoralized that the trees, just like people, are distraught:
הַגֶּ֣פֶן הוֹבִ֔ישָׁה וְהַתְּאֵנָ֖ה אֻמְלָ֑לָה רִמּ֞וֹן גַּם־תָּמָ֣ר וְתַפּ֗וּחַ כׇּל־עֲצֵ֤י הַשָּׂדֶה֙ יָבֵ֔שׁוּ כִּי־הֹבִ֥ישׁ שָׂשׂ֖וֹן מִן־בְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃
The vine has dried up,
The fig tree withers in misery,
Pomegranate, palm, and apple—
All the trees of the field have dried up,
And joy has dried up
Among the people.
Joel 1:12
He is not directly blaming the people - the time for responsibility will come, and for how to help the healing. He is just naming the tragic fate of fruits and trees, land and people, when what’s beyond our immiediate control creates catastrophes or changes that call on us to face facts, rise above, support each other, work for and hope for kinder, better balanced days.
On this day on which we honor trees, and fruits, the blessing of the seasons -- let’s not forget the many in our world for whom food insecurity is a real right now - and a constant challenge. How do we co-create a just and healthy ecosystem?
What are some ways for each of us, today, to take on, to support each other’s needs, fight for healthier climate, enable more food justice and stop the causes that cause famines and hunger in the world - right now?
Joel’s remedies and recipes, coming up in the next chapter, will include responsible response, including fasting - and coming together, as a community to cultivate care, get back to priorities - and call out for repair, as loudly as we can.
Dear Below the Bible Belt Readers,
Join me for our monthly Zoom conversation Below the Bible Belt - to wrap up the visions of Hosea and Joel, as we get to meet Amos. What do these ancient prophets have to tell us about war and peace today?
We’ll meet on February 1, 2024, 5pm ET to explore the legacies of the so-called minor prophets. Please bring your questions, comments, responses and thoughts.
Here’s the link to the next Below the Bible Belt Zoom Live Conversation:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88915392821
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We pray for healing and peace.
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